


when the wolf comes home

by raccooninvestigator



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Dead Mothers Club, Developing Friendships, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Songfic, The Mountain Goats, alcohol mention, background polythieves, no beta we die like men, the healing power of music, touch-sensitive Goro and sound-sensitive Futaba solidarity hours
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25217236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raccooninvestigator/pseuds/raccooninvestigator
Summary: It wasn’t that Goro avoided the former Phantom Thieves. It was hard not to, given the romantic entanglements of the group. Things were simply… complicated between them. His professional life gave him all the excuses he needed ordinarily to keep them out of arm’s reach. Unfortunately for him, Futaba was not alone.OR: A man simply wants a drink at his favorite bar, but there's an uncomfortably popular live show tonight.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 37
Collections: Day 1 - Jazz and Music





	when the wolf comes home

The air was stifling inside Jazz Jinn, all exhaled breath and sweat and smoke. Goro hated it - the way it made his skin itch under his buttoned shirt, dampness beading on the edge of his hairline. His special place was no secret tonight, filled to standing. He would have turned around if not for Muhen’s smile, a soft hand on his shoulder urging him in.

“You’re in for a treat tonight,” the man whispered, shoving Goro’s cover fee back into his hands. “He’s not our usual style, but he’s something special.”

The former detective prince elbowed his way through the crowd, fixing a cold stare on any who dared get in his way, before turning to the bar. Both the part-timers were on staff tonight; the older of the two subtly nodded to Goro, and poured his usual while he continued chatting with the patrons seated in front of him. A small orange head bobbed up between him and the barman, nearly colliding with his drink.

“Thought I recognized you, loser!” Futaba smiled up at him, showing all her teeth like some fae creature about to pounce. Hard to believe she was a shut in until a few years ago. Despite being at a live music venue, her ever present headphones were on her ears; though with his leather gloves and long sleeves, he was hardly one to mock sensory issues. Goro broke eye contact immediately, gaze flitting around the room. How many of them were there?

It wasn’t that Goro avoided the former Phantom Thieves. It was hard not to, given the romantic entanglements of the group. Things were simply… complicated between them. His professional life gave him all the excuses he needed ordinarily to keep them out of arm’s reach. Unfortunately for him, Futaba was not alone; Yusuke lingered, all knees and legs, just at the edge of the crowd. His mind was working on a graceful exit strategy when Futaba kneed him in the thigh, the resulting jump causing several angry glares from nearby patrons.  
  
“That’s what you get for ignoring me!” Futaba pouted, all the cheer gone from her face.

It took all of Goro’s remaining social energy to muster up a pitiful “hey.” Real charmer, that child prodigy Goro Akechi. Thankfully, the ounce of recognition was all it took for Futaba to melt back into her chatty form.

“I can’t believe you’d come to this show alone. This is an experience! You need to congregate! But away from all these horrible loud strangers. Come stand with us.” Graciously, Futaba didn’t grab for his free hand, simply flapped her fingers at him. Together they wove through the audience to where Yusuke was lost in conversation with a cactus.

“Inari, look! I found a bird.” He blinked long and slow, seemingly disappointed that Futaba wasn’t presenting him with an actual corvid, before giving a small bow of greeting. Goro wasn’t sure if the following silence was awkward, or if it was simply the natural state for three introverts at a bar, but he resolutely didn’t start any further conversations. He was going to stay here, enjoy his beer, and leave. A model guest. Not even Ryuji would complain.

“I have to say, I didn’t expect our own Crow to be a part of this scene,” Yusuke commented.

Goro snorted. “I’ve been coming here for years; what’s with the cybergoths up front?”

Futaba scoffed in offense (“they’re rivetheads, not cybergoths!”) while Yusuke shrugged. “I find the whole look tasteless, I’m only here for the art.” Goro shook his head and took a deep swig, focusing on the sharp punch of yuzu and the bitterness of the hops. Even as he tuned out the two of them bickering about subcultures, he had to admit it was far more relaxing here in the corner than it was in the thick of the crowd.

“Inari’s right though, is folk rock your secret passion? Are you writing poetry in your phone’s notes app? Do I need to install spyware to find out who the real Goro Akechi is?” The threat broke through the encroaching haze of alcohol, his gaze laser focusing on Futaba’s brown eyes. Whatever threat he had to say was drowned out by the roar of the crowd as the band took to the stage.

Muhen was right. This really wasn’t Jazz Jinn’s usual sound. And Yusuke was right too: this wasn’t for him. The singer’s voice felt all too much like Ren grinding coffee in his ear; the cacophony of several hundred people singing and cheering along only added to the auditory discomfort. The accompaniment of a single acoustic guitar lent a lonely ambiance to the song; lacking in all the rich complexities of the jazz tunes he had come to love.

And of course, the musician was American, so he had to actually focus to pay any attention to the words.

Yusuke looked as if he was in rapture; staring up at the stage with the sort of affection he saved for LeBlanc’s copy of _Sayuri_. Futaba’s mouth moved, clearly knowing every word, but her voice was entirely inaudible if she was singing along. Goro didn’t catch himself in time to suppress the smile growing on his own face in response to their joy.

The singer chatted amicably to the crowd between pieces; a little of the usual fare, pandering to the audience as if his financial stability depended on it. Maybe a joke or two. Then, suddenly, he felt the man’s eyes meet his. “This one is for anyone who has ever fantasized about getting revenge on their father, their step-father, or someone else who should have been taking care of them.”

Goro almost dropped the remainder of his pint.

For the first time that night, the musician had his complete attention.

Goro felt something stir inside him, a rush of emotions. It was like awakening to his Persona, a feeling of being entirely in sync with this foreign person, a feeling of oneness. The man sang of choking metaphorical lions and Goro saw the shadow of his father prowling nearby. The staccato bursts of the guitar are a punctuation to the thumping of his heart, a metronome for him to sway too. He wasn’t a religious man, but for a few moments he wondered if this was what churchgoers saw in singing hymns together.

In the cheering that followed, he turned to the Thieves, wide eyed. “Who is this?” Futaba cackled, taking a handful of bills from Yusuke.

“I thought you’d like them,” she explained while pocketing her winnings. “They’re the Mountain Goats.”

“They’re one person?”

“Sometimes they’re many people,” Yusuke explained. “This is just a solo show.”

Futaba reached hesitantly for Goro’s arm, and he let her take it. “Keep listening,” she urged, leaning up so he could hear her better. “Really listen. To the words, I mean.”

So he did. Some songs filled him with a sense of shadow, some with hope. Some made the room light up, dancing; others left them still like the grave. When he occasionally tore his gaze from the man, he caught Futaba crying. Goro finished his drink, but the idea of leaving was long gone.

“This will be the last one tonight folks, it’s a special request. This one is called _Up the Wolves_.” Futaba grabbed Goro’s hands. The gaze fixed upon him was mournful, echoed by the one in Yusuke’s own.

From the first line, he felt punched in the gut.

_“There's bound to be a ghost at the back of your closet / No matter where you live. / There'll always be a few things, maybe several things, / That you're gonna find really difficult to forgive._ ”

Futaba didn’t let go, only tightened her grip, leaning her face into Goro’s chest. Yusuke ran his hand through her hair soothingly, looking forlorn.

“ _Our mother has been absent / Ever since we founded Rome / But there's gonna be a party when the wolf comes home.”_

The common point of the Phantom Thieves: troubled family relationships. But Goro, Yusuke, and Futaba shared something worse. Mothers who had been killed, whose deaths lingered in childhood memories. One of which was his fault. And it wasn’t just Futaba crying now, as he hugged her back, unable to make soothing sounds in this overwhelming environment.  
  
“ _I’m going to bribe the officials / I’m going to kill all the judges / It's gonna take you people years to recover from all of the damage._ ”

The song died down to the roar of the crowd, and Goro held tight to the girl he’d turned into an orphan, the girl who would someday be as good as his sister-in-law. Yusuke wrapped his arms around them both, silent. A tiny hiccup sounded beneath them, then a smaller voice.

“I’ve already forgiven you, Akechi.” His grip tightened around her as the house lights came back up, and they took a moment to breathe.

\---

The next morning, Goro awoke to a text message from a number he'd never seen out of group chats.

[YK:] You are welcome to visit us and listen to our records any time. I think you’ll find them very healing.

[GA:] That sounds wonderful.

Goro smiled down at his phone. He meant it.

**Author's Note:**

> I COULD AND HAVE MADE A WHOLE PLAYLIST OF GORO AKECHI SONGS THAT ARE ONLY BY THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
> 
> Lion's Teeth and Up the Wolves are from "The Sunset Tree," which is a whole Akechicore album and highly recommended listening by me
> 
> This sure was gonna be a Goro-Yusuke comedic friendship piece but the Futagoro agenda said NO


End file.
